Startup Physicians

What does it take to turn a problem you see in clinical practice into a healthcare startup?

Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with two physician founders from the Startup Physicians Incubator, psychiatrist Dr. Divya Krishnamoorthy and dermatologist Dr. Mason Henehan, to explore how they're transforming everyday challenges in patient care into scalable healthcare solutions.

Dr. Krishnamoorthy is building Syntonia Health, a platform designed to better understand medication adherence and treatment effectiveness between mental health appointments. Dr. Henehan is developing Formulary Flow, a tool that helps clinicians navigate insurance requirements and treatment pathways.

Together, they share what they've learned about transitioning from physician to founder, developing sustainable business models, pitching their ideas, and finding the right mentorship and community.

What You'll Learn:

• How physicians can identify opportunities for healthcare innovation
• Why clinical expertise is valuable when building a startup
• How to move from a product idea to a sustainable business model
• The importance of mindset, mentorship, and feedback in entrepreneurship
• How physician founders can create impact beyond their individual practices

Whether you're exploring a healthcare startup idea or already building a company, this conversation offers a look at what it takes to bring a physician-led innovation to life.

⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction: Meet Two Physician Founders
01:21 Dr. Divya Krishnamoorthy's Journey and Syntonia Health
03:35 Turning Clinical Problems Into Startup Opportunities
05:03 Dr. Mason Henehan's Journey and Formulary Flow
07:58 Why Physician Expertise Matters in Healthcare Innovation
10:03 The Mindset Shift From Physician to Founder
12:41 Translating Clinical Skills Into Entrepreneurship
14:24 Learning to Build and Scale a Healthcare Business
16:15 Executive Coaching, Feedback, and Founder Growth
19:03 Building a Sustainable Startup Business Model
21:35 Learning to Pitch a Vision
22:39 Balancing Innovation With Patient Safety
23:58 Why Community and Mentorship Matter
27:47 Creating Scalable Impact Through Sustainable Businesses
29:22 The Value of a Physician Founder Network
31:55 Final Reflections and Founder Resources
32:40 Meet the Founders and Explore the Incubator
33:06 How to Apply to the Startup Physicians Incubator

🔗 RESOURCES & LINKS

Explore the Startup Physicians Incubator:
https://www.startupphysicians.com/incubator

Connect with Divya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/divya-krishnamoorthy-md-fapa-35723325/

Syntonia Health: https://syntoniahealth.com

Connect with Mason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mason-henehan-md/

Formulary Flow: https://formularyflow.com

Free Resources for Physician Founders: https://www.startupphysicians.com/resources

Learn more about the Startup Physicians Podcast and other ways physicians can get involved in healthcare innovation: https://www.startupphysicians.com/

Subscribe to the Startup Physicians Podcast for conversations about physician entrepreneurship, healthcare innovation, medical startups, and building a career with broader impact.

#PhysicianEntrepreneur #HealthcareStartups #PhysicianFounder #HealthcareInnovation #StartupPhysicians

Building a startup requires more than learning how to pitch, raise capital, or develop a product. For physicians, it can also require a fundamental shift in how you think, lead, learn, and see yourself.

In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with Startup Physicians Incubator coaches Ian Maxwell, Amanda Fornal, and Marta Milkowska to talk about the transformation that happens when a physician becomes a founder.

They discuss why habits that serve physicians well in medicine, including perfectionism, working until the job is done, and avoiding mistakes, can sometimes become obstacles in entrepreneurship. And explore coachability, learning to seek feedback, recognizing the leadership skills physicians already have, and becoming comfortable with growth, revenue, and building a sustainable business.

If you are building a company or even considering becoming a physician founder, this conversation offers a look at the mindset shifts that can make the journey easier and more sustainable.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Why founder development goes beyond business skills
01:44 – Ian Maxwell's background in coaching and health tech
03:48 – Amanda Fornal's work with founders and impact-driven companies
04:55 – Marta Milkowska's journey through health tech and entrepreneurship
06:17 – Why physician founders benefit from coaching
08:06 – When the physician "grind" mindset stops helping
09:39 – Why founders always feel behind
11:11 – Rethinking competitors as potential partners
11:58 – Why even high performers need coaches
13:09 – Technical vs. adaptive challenges
15:00 – Why your MVP does not need to be perfect
15:16 – Learning to seek feedback instead of fear it
17:55 – How coaching supports the founder journey
19:34 – Becoming comfortable with your new identity as CEO
20:46 – Learning the language of business
23:03 – Why coachability matters
24:30 – Turning feedback into a founder advantage
25:49 – The leadership skills physicians often overlook
27:45 – Imposter syndrome and physician founders
29:39 – Can you make money and still do good?
31:28 – Money as a lagging indicator of impact
32:01 – Advice for early-stage physician founders
34:15 – Talk to users, learn, and celebrate the pivot
35:54 – Supporting the next generation of physician founders

RESOURCES

Explore the Startup Physicians Incubator:
https://www.startupphysicians.com/incubator

Connect with Ian on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianbmaxwell/

Connect with Ian at Mindset Magic:

https://mindsetmagic.coach/

Connect with Marta on Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marta-milkowska-a2181a7/

Book a discovery session with Marta’s team at Clear Signal Leadership:

clearsignalleadership.com

Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandadfornal/

Book a discovery session with Amanda’s team at Hypatia Leadership:

https://www.hypatialeadership.com/

Free resources for physician founders:
https://www.startupphysicians.com/resources

Learn more about the Startup Physicians Podcast and other ways physicians can get involved in healthcare innovation:
https://www.startupphysicians.com/

In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman shares lessons from her experience as a healthcare founder and co-founder of Imagine Pediatrics, including the story of her first founder pitch to the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. 

Turning a clinical insight into a successful healthcare startup takes more than a great product. It takes the right connections, a clear funding strategy, and a plan for getting your idea in front of the people who can help bring it to life

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why talking to the wrong people can slow your startup's growth.
• How to use your professional network to build credibility and secure valuable introductions.
• Ways to fund your startup beyond picking up extra clinical shifts.
• How grants, pitch competitions, early customers, and investors can help extend your runway.
• Why letters of intent and early traction matter to investors.
• How experienced guides and strategic partners can shorten your sales and fundraising cycles.
• How to approach fundraising with clear financial models, milestones, and a plan for growth.

CHAPTERS 

00:00 – Alison's first pitch to the CEO of UnitedHealthcare
01:15 – The three lessons for physician founders
02:22 – Why a great product isn't enough
04:40 – Getting in front of the right people
06:56 – Building credibility and creating momentum
09:18 – Funding your startup beyond extra shifts
11:39 – Exploring grants and non-dilutive funding
13:56 – Building traction and planning your financial runway
16:18 – How the right partners accelerate growth
18:44 – Key takeaways for physician founders
19:00 – The power of the right connections
20:00 – Finding support through the Startup Physicians Incubator

Resources

Apply to the Startup Physicians Incubator:

https://startupphysicians.com/incubator

Explore free resources for physician founders:

https://startupphysicians.com/resources

Learn more about Startup Physicians:

https://startupphysicians.com

Connect with Startup Physicians on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-physicians/

Physicians are trained to solve complex problems, but most are never taught how to turn a clinical insight into a scalable company.

In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with Startup & Venture Advisor Kim Sharp to talk about the startup playbook physicians don’t learn in medical school.

They discuss what physician founders need before they pitch, build, raise capital, or launch — including financial models, MVPs, data rooms, cap tables, product strategy, advisor networks, and venture readiness.

If you have a healthcare idea but feel overwhelmed by the startup world, this episode will help you understand what it takes to move from idea to launch with more structure, confidence, and support.

CHAPTERS

00:00 — Why Physician Founders Matter
01:59 — Meet Kim Sharp
05:33 — Why Physicians Have a Startup Advantage
06:35 — What Doctors Need to Learn Before Building
09:33 — De-Risking Your Idea Before You Launch
13:08 — Why Investors Bet on the Founder
14:24 — Financial Models, MVPs, and Pitch Decks
22:35 — Data Rooms, Cap Tables, and Venture Readiness
26:00 — Building Advisors, Community, and Support
28:35 — Building for Scale vs. Starting Small
32:43 — Strategic Networks and Warm Introductions
35:16 — Preparing for HLTH and Investor Meetings
39:03 — Who the Startup Physicians Incubator Is For
42:14 — How to Apply to the Incubator
43:53 — Why the Incubator Does Not Take Equity
45:32 — Closing Thoughts

Resources

Apply to the Startup Physicians Incubator:

https://startupphysicians.com/incubator

Explore free resources for physician founders:

https://startupphysicians.com/resources

Learn more about Startup Physicians:

https://startupphysicians.com

Connect with Startup Physicians on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-physicians/

In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, host Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with Dr. Joe Pazona, board-certified urologist and founder and CEO of VirtuCare, to explore his unconventional journey from traditional clinical practice to healthcare entrepreneurship.

After experiencing burnout, frustrating healthcare systems, and significant gaps in specialty care, Joe decided to take a different path. He founded VirtuCare to rethink how urology services are delivered through telemedicine, team-based care, and hospital partnerships.

Joe shares the challenges of building a healthcare company without a business background, why physicians need a seat at the table when designing new care models, and how technology can expand patient access without compromising clinical standards.

If you're considering launching a startup, exploring advisory opportunities, or simply looking for ways to make a bigger impact in medicine, this conversation will provide valuable insight into what's possible beyond traditional clinical practice.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction

00:33 Joe Pazona's journey into medicine and urology

02:50 Recognizing opportunities to improve healthcare

03:50 The reality of physician employment and burnout

06:11 When speaking up leads to difficult career decisions

07:33 Finding a new path in Nashville

09:22 How COVID exposed weaknesses in traditional healthcare models

10:42 The idea behind VirtuCare

12:50 From direct-to-consumer telemedicine to a new business model

13:50 Addressing the rural urology access problem

16:20 Rethinking what quality healthcare delivery looks like

18:37 The role of physician leadership in team-based care

22:08 Why doctors need a seat at the table

24:17 Balancing patient continuity with access and scalability

25:16 Exploring different paths into healthcare innovation

26:34 The realities of entrepreneurship and finding your purpose

28:37 Final advice for physicians who want to make a difference 

Resources:

Learn more about Startup Physicians:
https://startupphysicians.com

Connect with Startup Physicians on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-physicians/

Learn more about Virtucare: https://myvirtucare.com/ 

Connect with Virtucare on LinkedIn: ​​https://www.linkedin.com/company/myvirtucare 

Description: 

Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with Dr. Stephen Garber, a board-certified anesthesiologist with more than 35 years of clinical experience, and Dr. Amar Patel, an orthopedic surgeon, to explore what it looks like when physicians step beyond traditional clinical roles and become active participants in healthcare innovation.

Dr. Garber shares the story of how his experience in anesthesiology and years of seeing airway obstruction, hypoventilation, and airway-management challenges during procedural sedation led him into medical device innovation and his work with the xchange™ System.

Stephen and Amar share practical lessons for physicians who are curious about startups, medical devices, entrepreneurship, advisory roles, and physician leadership. They discuss how to recognize opportunities in everyday clinical frustrations, how to evaluate companies that genuinely want physician input, and how doctors can leverage their clinical expertise outside the traditional healthcare system.

They also get candid about the uncomfortable parts of the journey: learning the language of business, walking into unfamiliar rooms with investors and entrepreneurs, negotiating equity, building relationships, and finding the confidence to contribute as a physician without assuming you have to know everything about the startup world.

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction: Physicians and healthcare innovation

00:45 – Dr. Stephen Garber’s journey into medical device innovation

02:46 – Why startups need physician leadership, not just physician endorsement

04:03 – Finding opportunities in everyday clinical problems

04:13 – Dr. Amar Patel’s introduction to the xchange™ System

06:23 – The importance of generating early clinical evidence

07:49 – Why physician involvement matters in proving a medical device

08:28 – Balancing clinical practice with innovation

10:44 – Why practicing physicians bring unique insight to product development

11:25 – How physician-to-physician collaboration can create opportunities

12:41 – Finding medical device opportunities at conferences and events

14:17 – Building confidence and learning to negotiate your value

16:06 – Overcoming fear and stepping outside the traditional physician path

17:23 – The “Why didn’t I think of that?” moment in medical innovation

18:27 – The energy and creativity of the startup environment

20:21 – Why physician leadership is critical to safety

21:50 – Breaking out of the traditional healthcare bureaucracy

22:47 – What was hardest about entering the startup world?

23:00 – Learning the business side of healthcare innovation

24:40 – Finding the right opportunity and the right community

25:44 – Why your professional network matters

27:53 – Final advice: Where’s the opportunity?

Resources:

Learn more about Startup Physicians:
https://startupphysicians.com

Connect with Startup Physicians on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-physicians/

Learn more about xchange by Pneuma: https://www.xchangebypneuma.com/ 

Connect with Pneuma Therapeutics on LinkedIn: ​​https://www.linkedin.com/company/pneuma-therapeutics/ 

Orthopedic surgeon and physician founder Dr. Danny Goel went from identifying gaps in surgical training to co-founding PrecisionOS, a virtual reality and AI-powered platform designed to help surgeons practice skills and judgment in a risk-free environment.

In this conversation, Danny joins Dr. Alison Curfman to talk about what that path looked like: starting with no intention of building a company, finding technical co-founders outside of medicine, validating the idea with other physicians, raising early capital, learning the business side of healthcare, and deciding to remain in clinical practice while building.

They also discuss why staying close to clinical practice can strengthen a physician founder, how advisors can shape an early company, and why physicians should pressure-test their ideas instead of keeping them hidden until they feel perfect.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:58 The transition from surgical training to independent practice

03:20 Building a risk-free environment for surgical training

05:07 Why timing matters in medical simulation

07:48 Building from a problem inside clinical practice

09:17 Why physician founders can stay in medicine

11:31 How the company started

13:15 Finding technical co-founders outside of medicine

15:41 Raising early capital and validating the problem

18:27 Learning the business side of healthcare

20:17 Why physicians do not need an MBA to start

22:07 The value of advisors for early-stage founders

23:37 Pressure-testing a startup idea

25:42 Why physicians should not be afraid to share their ideas

29:06 Creating impact beyond individual patient care

30:16 A first step for physicians with startup ideas

Resources

Explore the Concept Pitch Builder and other free resources for physician founders:

https://startupphysicians.com/resources

Learn more about PrecisionOS:

https://precisionostech.com

Learn more about Startup Physicians:

https://startupphysicians.com

Connect with Startup Physicians on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-physicians/

Oncologist and physician founder Dr. Jose Barreau went from identifying a communication problem inside the hospital to building Doc Halo, growing it into Halo Health, raising venture capital, and ultimately selling the company in 2021.

In this conversation, Jose joins Dr. Alison Curfman to talk about what that path actually looked like: starting with zero business or development experience, finding the right technical partners, deciding when to reduce clinical work, creating financial runway, navigating venture capital, and learning to become comfortable with feedback and sales.

They also discuss why clinical experience can be an advantage for physician founders, and why doctors do not need an MBA, a technical background, or every answer before they begin building.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:37 Solving a communication problem inside the hospital

03:22 Starting a company with zero business or development experience

05:02 Building Doc Halo while practicing medicine

06:40 Finding the right technical partner and avoiding technical debt

07:52 Deciding when to step away from full-time clinical practice

08:49 Creating financial runway before making the leap

10:37 The safety net physicians have when building a startup

12:06 Staying connected to clinical medicine as a founder

14:59 Learning venture capital and evaluating term sheets

17:21 Finding the right advisors, lawyers, and investors

18:20 Growing Halo Health and selling the company

19:10 The mindset shift from physician to founder

20:42 Why founders need to embrace feedback and sales

21:36 Discovery calls, validation, and learning before pitching

Resources

Explore free resources for physician founders:

https://startupphysicians.com/resources

Learn more about Startup Physicians:

https://startupphysicians.com

Connect with Startup Physicians on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-physicians/

In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with orthopedic surgeon and physician founder Dr. Justin Smith to talk about his path from clinical medicine to entrepreneurship, private practice, and building an AI-powered platform designed to reduce the administrative burden of running a medical practice.

Justin shares how his entrepreneurial journey started with Morning Rounds Coffee and expanded into medical products, private practice, and ultimately healthcare software. He also breaks down what he has learned about working with developers, building for healthcare compliance, fundraising from physician investors, creating a strategic product roadmap, and using AI to build AI.

If you’re a physician with an idea for a startup, or you’re already building one, this conversation is packed with practical lessons on moving from subject matter expertise to an actual company.

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Introduction: Dr. Justin Smith

02:27 – Why AI is empowering physician founders

05:37 – Healthcare security, PHI, and SOC 2 compliance

07:22 – Why physicians still have an edge as subject matter experts

09:49 – Communicating your vision to developers and investors

13:23 – Turning physician investors into aligned beta testers

16:14 – The changing SaaS landscape

18:30 – Prompt engineering, context engineering, and AI agents

21:19 – Using AI internally to build a leaner company

23:28 – Making independent practice more accessible

Resources:

Startup Physicians Resources: https://www.startupphysicians.com/resources

Startup Physicians: https://www.startupphysicians.com/

Connect with Justin Smith, MD : Linkedinlinkedin.com/in/justin-smith-md-faaos-fa...
- https://www.turnkeyaipractice.io

@toddwalkermd - toddwalkermd.com

 @sportssmithmd - sportssmithmd.com

In this episode, Dr. Alison Curfman shares one of the most common mistakes she sees physician entrepreneurs make: spending months (and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars) building a product before identifying who will actually buy it.

Drawing from conversations with dozens of physician founders, Alison explains why building an MVP is still the right instinct, but why customer discovery and stakeholder validation must happen before you invest heavily in development. She breaks down the difference between building a product and building a successful business, and shares practical questions every founder should ask before launching.

Whether you're creating a digital health startup, AI tool, medical device, or healthcare service, this episode will help you avoid expensive mistakes and build with confidence.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why building your idea is still the right first step
• Why a product without a buyer is only a hypothesis
• How to identify the real decision-maker
• The stakeholder conversations every founder needs to have
• Why customer discovery saves time, money, and frustration
• The difference between building a product and building a venture

Chapters

00:00 The hidden trend among physician founders 

00:43 Three things to know before you fall in love with your product 

01:19 Build it

02:20 A product without a buyer is a hypothesis 

03:43 Identify the buyer, not just the user 

04:43 Have stakeholder conversations that sting 

05:46 Discovery before validation before pitching 

06:27 How feedback shapes a better product 

07:04 A product is only one part of a successful venture 

08:29 The three biggest takeaways 

09:16 The Concept Pitch Builder framework 

10:01 Final thoughts

Resources:

Concept Pitch Builder:https://www.startupphysicians.com/resources

Startup Physicians:https://www.startupphysicians.com/